Hands of friendship

Project help young people meet needs 'right across the street'

This year, when Eleanor Anderson thought about
a service project for the students of her Sunday school at Emanuel
Lutheran Church, Ludington, Mich., she decided to look close to home.
“When people think about helping others, for some reason they always
seem to look at the other side of the world,” she said. “We forget that
there are often needs right across the street.”

Kennedy
Kirby (right) helps Rune Kirby put a personal touch on his “Hands of
Friendship Box.” Emanuel Lutheran Church, Ludington, Mich., collected
“comfort items” for a shelter, a project to open children’s eyes to
needs in their community.

Anderson
remembered reading somewhere that the U.S. is now the third largest
mission field in the world. Prompted by that information, she began to
look for a service project in Ludington. What she found was Communities
Overcoming Violent Encounters, the women’s shelter serving Mason, Lake
and Oceana counties. The shelter serves as a short-term home for
victims of domestic violence.